Equity benchmarks extended their morning gains into the afternoon session on Tuesday, with the BSE Sensex and Nifty 50 holding firm above key levels around midday, driven by a sharp pullback in crude oil prices after US President Donald Trump postponed strikes on Iran’s power infrastructure.

At 12:55 pm, the Sensex was trading at 74,295.40, up 1,599.01 points or 2.20 per cent. The Nifty 50 stood at 23,012.00, up 499.35 points or 2.22 per cent as of 12.54 pm. The indices had opened gap-up in the morning — Sensex at 74,212.47 against a previous close of 72,696.39, and Nifty at 22,878.45 against a previous close of 22,512.65 — and have built on those gains through the session.

The trigger was Trump’s announcement of a five-day halt to planned strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure, citing “productive conversations.” Brent crude fell around 11 per cent, retreating from above $112 to below $105. US markets had closed higher overnight, with the S&P 500 gaining 1.4 per cent and the CBOE VIX easing 5.9 per cent to 25.2, providing a supportive global backdrop.

On the Nifty 50, IndiGo led the gainers, rising 5.25 per cent to ₹4,152.40 from a previous close of ₹3,945.30. Shriram Finance gained 5.22 per cent to ₹923.50 from ₹877.70. Eternal advanced 5.09 per cent to ₹238.51 against its previous close of ₹226.96. Larsen & Toubro climbed 4.63 per cent to ₹3,497.00 from ₹3,342.40, while UltraTech Cement rose 4.30 per cent to ₹10,808.00 from ₹10,362.00.

The sectoral spread of the gains — aviation, financial services, quick commerce, infrastructure, and cement — points to a broad-based recovery rather than a narrow crude-driven bounce. The breadth data on BSE reinforced this: of 4,252 stocks traded, 3,016 advanced against 1,056 declines, with 180 unchanged. As many as 440 stocks hit 52-week lows, however, while 39 reached 52-week highs, reflecting that Monday’s damage has not been fully reversed across the broader market. Stocks in upper circuit numbered 96, against 161 in lower circuit.

On the losing side, Coal India slipped 2.39 per cent to ₹444.35 from its previous close of ₹455.25, while Power Grid Corporation fell 0.86 per cent to ₹299.50 from ₹302.10. The decline in Coal India comes even as the broader market rallied, with analysts flagging the stock’s sensitivity to energy policy shifts. Power Grid has now declined in both sessions this week.

Oil marketing companies remained in focus through the session, with the fall in crude improving their refining margin outlook. InvestorAi’s morning note flagged BPCL and Hindustan Petroleum as its highest-conviction calls of the day, noting that downstream oil marketing names offer “pricing resilience that pure upstream names lack.” Power infrastructure name Tata Power, life insurer Max Financial, and industrials player Supreme Industries were also flagged as conviction picks, pointing to a broadening of the relief rally beyond direct oil beneficiaries.

India VIX, which had spiked to 26.73 on Monday — up 17.17 per cent — remained elevated, keeping traders cautious about the durability of the move. With the weekly Nifty F&O expiry falling today, accelerated time decay and volatility-driven swings remain a risk through the afternoon session. Trump’s five-day window on Iran closes by Saturday, and any breakdown in diplomatic momentum could push crude back above $115 and test Monday’s low of 22,512 on the Nifty once more.

Published on March 24, 2026

Equity benchmarks continued to trade firmly higher during Tuesday’s mid-market session, tracking strength in global markets amid easing geopolitical concerns. Investor sentiment improved following a fragile relief rally overseas after US President Donald Trump postponed military action targeting Iran’s power infrastructure, easing fears of a deeper energy supply shock.

BSE Sensex surged 1,577 points, while the Nifty 50 advanced 485 points from their respective previous closes in intraday trade, supported by broad-based buying across sectors.

At 12.43 pm, Sensex rallied 1522.53 points or 2.09 per cent to 74,218.92, and Nifty 50 climbed 451.85 points or 2.01 per cent to 22,964.50.

Broader markets outperformed the benchmarks, with midcap and smallcap indices climbing more than 2 per cent each. All sectoral indices traded in positive territory, led by automobile, information technology and financial stocks, which gained between 2 and 2.5 per cent.

Coal India & Power Grid top Nifty 50 losers

Among the Nifty 50 constituents, Shriram Finance, InterGlobe Aviation, Eternal, Apollo Hospitals Enterprise and Eicher Motors emerged as the top gainers. On the other hand, Coal India, Power Grid Corporation of India and SBI Life Insurance Company were the only notable laggards.

A total of 3,233 stocks were traded on the National Stock Exchange at the time of writing, with market breadth remaining firmly positive as 2,527 stocks advanced compared with 606 declines, while 100 remained unchanged. Momentum was visible across counters, with 11 stocks touching their 52-week highs, whereas 329 stocks slipped to their 52-week lows.

In the broader market activity, 51 stocks were locked in the upper circuit limit, while 75 stocks hit their lower circuit bands.

Midcap & smallcap movers

In the midcap segment, stocks such as Vishal Mega Mart, Tube Investments of India, GMR Airports, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation, One 97 Communications and Oil India rallied between 4 and 6 per cent. However, Bharti Hexacom, Muthoot Finance, Aurobindo Pharma and Indraprastha Gas traded lower.

Smallcap stocks also witnessed strong buying interest. BLS International Services, JBM Auto, Tejas Networks, HBL Engineering and Data Patterns India rallied between 5 and 13 per cent. In contrast, Castrol India, Aegis Vopak, Trident and Cholamandalam Investment and Finance Company declined 1 to 3 per cent.

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Published on March 24, 2026